1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a packet communication system and a packet communication apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
Methods for transmitting/receiving communication data include packet communication methods in which the communication data is transmitted/received in a state of being divided into a plurality of data packets each having a prescribed volume of data. In the packet communication methods, the communication data is restored after all of the data packets constituting the communication data have been received. For this purpose, JP-A-7-254909 discloses, for example, in FIG. 2, a technique in which the receiving-side apparatus includes a reception check counter for counting the number of data packets received, and the number counted by the reception check counter is monitored to determine whether or not all data packets have been received.
According to the above technique, the receiving-side apparatus must include the reception check counter and a circuit for monitoring the reception check counter. However, in the case of receiving a large amount of data, such as image data, the reception check counter must be large in circuit construction because a huge number of data packets must be received. In addition, the circuit for monitoring the reception check counter must bear a great burden.